On the question of VXDs, the Windows 32-bit protect mode device driver interface supported in Windows 3.0 and 3.1, some developers asked Ballmer to outline its future, and explain why VXD does not run under NT: is it a binary level problem or a new driver philosophy; also, is NT a real-time kernel that can display a message box as a reaction of a hardware interrupt? VXDs are to be supported in future MS-DOS, but NT has additional device driver services and requirements since it supports multiprocessor machines; as regards real-time operations, NT enables real-time response to interrupts although that is not the New Technology’s primary design goal.
